An Austrian-style pub is being banned from selling drinks in traditional German steins.

Trading standards officials - who normally order shops and stores to serve goods in metric measures - say beer must be sold in Imperial pint and half-pint glasses.

Now Andrea Schutz, the Austrian-born landlady of the Cardinal's Hat in Worcester city centre, says she will start using ordinary glasses to comply with the rules.

Trading standards officer John Dell said: "It must be one of the only situations where we enforce imperial measures."

Beer's flavour

Unlike the majority of goods, which have to be served in metric quantities to comply with European regulations, drinks poured from a pump must still be in imperial measures.

Mrs Schutz, who imports four varieties of Austrian beer, says she intends to take her case to the European Parliament.

She says flutes and steins are integral to the flavour of the beer.

Mrs Schutz insisted: "The customers love the fact that we serve beer in flutes and steins because it is part of the appeal of drinking in an Austrian bar.

"Some of them have told me they will buy their own flutes and steins and ask me to serve their beer in them.

"We will use pint glasses because we do not want to be prosecuted, but it is a shame and I think it's a crazy situation."

Trading standards officials in Worcestershire admitted the law governing alcoholic drinks was "bizarre", as bottled drinks in pubs were all served in metric measures, and said they had some sympathy with Mrs Schutz.

Mr Dell added: "However, we have to enforce the law. If we make an exception in this case, it would set a precedent and we would have pubs up and down the country demanding the right to be able to serve their drinks in half-litres and litres."